The Specter
by oleander1
Summary: Sookie and Eric meet under different circumstances when she rescues him from drainers on her way home from a job. But she's not a barmaid, she's something much more exciting.T for now I guess.
1. Giant Wooden Beam

The wind whipped my hair around; it hit my eyes and stuck to my lips, it smelled fresh and clean. A storm was on its way. The wind moved the clouds over the full moon cutting off my source of light every once in a while. I stuck the tip of my finger in my mouth then held it out to the wind to gauge the direction…seemed to be coming from all directions. That was the extent of my whether knowledge, what I did know was that I had to get my butt into some shelter before the doom and gloom caught up to me.

Hitch hiking is the least reliable way of traveling and by not reliable I mean super dangerous and creepy. Why is it always old dudes in vans without windows that happen to pass by going my way? I had to turn down like three rides before this small overly talkative tipsy chick picked me up, she was swerving a little and I ended up taking the wheel and basically became her designated driver. Now after leaving my ride at her country homestead I was currently walking across said country on my way to my own country estate. I had about thirty miles to go.

The tall grass in the field I was standing in thrashed against my ankles and grasshoppers jumped out of my way as I crossed it to go over to the old barn I noticed at the edge of the clearing. The wind kicked up even more and I heard the distinct pit pat of rain, the water chased me all the way to the barn's small overhang. I leaned against the wall panting and drenched; I closed my eyes and started laughing.

Urgent voices came from inside the barn. Oh, fantastic the one abandoned barn for miles around and now theses assholes are in there bumping uglies, depriving me of a warm dry place to wade out the night.

"Tie the chains tighter!" said a female voice. Damn, kinky.

_This should last a couple months, unless he freaks out and takes it all at once again. I can't deal with that shit again he was out of fucking control. God I need this, the shakes are getting so bad. Two more vaccutaners should be enough then we'll stake the fang._

Say what now? But she didn't actually say anything out loud, it was in her mind.

Drainers? That's worse than people getting their freak on farm animal style.

I could go in and save the poor dude who's getting drained. I had my bowie knife in a sheath at my hip in case of perverts. But then what? Stab the two drainers? I don't want bodies on my hands. I could scare them off then let the vampire go so it could go do my dirty work. Nothing more pissed off then a half drained vampire 'cept maybe a cat right after it got thrown into a pool.

I took off my bag and laid it against the side of the barn, then eased the large barn door open and peeked inside, they had their backs to me, a lantern in between them and the vampire on the ground. They looked –at least from behind anyway- like trailer trash meth heads. They seemed to be entirely consumed by their task and completely unaware of the now apparent sound of wind whistling through the cracked-open door. Sweet, the element of surprise. I slid in between the doors, holding my breath and hoping they didn't squeak as I closed them. Slipping the bowie knife out of its sheath I crept towards the drainers that were bent over plugging in more vials and gathering up the already full ones.

I looked around to see if there was anything I could use as some sort of long range weapon. Now that I had them right in front of me I was seriously reconsidering my original plan, which really wasn't much of a plan anyway. Old rakes, old bins, old shovels. Not a single crossbow or catapult to be had. I looked up; on the ceiling attached to a primitive pulley system is the counterweight to one of the live stock doors (the kind that go up and down). It was hanging directly above the two drainers, the most convenient thing I've ever seen in my life. I took a step forward watching their backs for any sign that they heard me, the vampire's eyes followed my movement, I put my finger over my lips and winked. I didn't know this dude and I surely didn't know if he was good or not but I had already heard that they were going to kill him and that's not something I can just turn my back to. He may try and kill me but I'm hoping that he'll have some sort honor and just let me go about my merry way.

I walked slowly to the left side where the rope was tacked to the wall, all the while being watched by eyes the color of corn flowers after a long drought. I looked over to him and nodded as I took the bowie out and began to cut the rope, the last thread broke all on its own and the beam dropped with a sickening thud. It took out the man instantly but he didn't look dead, only his legs were pinned, the woman got caught on the shoulder and was in a pain induced dazed. I took long strides over to the women and kicked her over, I patted her down and took away her pistol and small boot knife. Score, I need a new gun.

The vampire watched all this with a look of confused fascination mixed with agony from the silver chains burning his skin. I knelt down beside him, carefully removing the long thin chain from around his wrists and arm then sliding the needle out of the crook of his elbow.

Just before taking off the last loop I said, "If I set you free will you hurt me?" nothing stopping him from lying then ripping my throat out but I felt the need to ask anyway. He shook his head, I shrugged and took it off. He sat up quicker than I could track with my eyes and I nearly fell back on my ass. "Wait just a second, it's still around your ankles." I huffed out, giving him a look. He froze as I unwound it from around his bare feet and ankles, they had taken off his motorcycle boots and flung them in the corner. His feet were giant, which I guess made him proportional, all of him was giant, laying down and in pain he still looked like he was at least 6'4". Long wheat colored hair hung in his face in disarray, sculpted cheek bones and a proud knife edge nose combined to make him look like he walked off a runway in Milan and into this dilapidated barn. I was happy to be saving someone so attractive, if he were ugly I still would have done it but you wouldn't see me going any extra mile.

"There, all unwound." He shot up and over to the female drainer, she was starting to become more coherent and had the nerve to look surprised when the vampire hoisted her up by the color of her shirt, she was lucky it wasn't her throat.

"Tell me who told you of my resting place." He ground out, I could see his fangs glint in the faint lantern light. Resting place? So that's how they got the drop on him.

The women's mind was racing, desperately trying to find the answer to his question but only coming up to what looked like a black hole in her mind. The memory was completely gone, ripped out leaving a gaping hole.

"She doesn't know," I said.

He whipped his head around to look at me and I wished I'd just let him torture her to death instead of having that gaze turned on me.

"There's a giant hole in her mind, the memory isn't there anymore, like someone performed a sloppy lobotomy." He nodded in understanding, seemed to consider it further and looked back at me in confusion.

"And how exactly would you know that?" he was still holding onto the woman but all his attention was on me, I felt a small force press upon my mind as it got stronger it sorta' felt like the beginnings of a headache. I raised an eyebrow and frowned at him.

I guess that's what it felt like when they try and influence you. I rolled my eyes to casually break eye contact. There was no way I could get out of telling him that I read her mind, I couldn't think of an explanation that that didn't directly involve me in the leek of his resting place and subsequent draining. And then my subsequent draining. Okay then, the truth it is.

"I read her mind." I said quietly. That sounded worse than any of the other explanations I had come up with, but apparently he believed me.

"You can read my mind?" he didn't sound so much accusatory as he did curious.

"Nope." I said popping the 'P' at the end. I stood there with my arms crossed waiting for him to make the next move.

Before either of us could do anything the woman he was holding squirmed out of his grip, fell to the ground and scurried away. Of course he let her do all this, he could have snapped her neck and she wouldn't even realize what happened till she landed down stairs. She passed in front of me on her way to her partner who was still out cold; it was beginning to look permanent.

"Mark! Wake up you shit head!" he didn't wake up but I didn't blame him I wouldn't want to wake up to that either. But what do I know, that could be some weird pet name.

"He's knocked out cold, lady," I said, because I didn't want to hear her shriek at him anymore.

She somehow rolled the beam from off his legs and pulled his slack body up, slinging one arm over her shoulder. Did she think she was just going to walk on out of here? That beam must have hit her hard, killing any brain cells she may have had to begin with.

The blonde vamp was next to them in a second, his hand going around her scrawny neck.

"Don't kill them." I said loud enough to get through to him.

"You care about this scum?" he asked, I feel like his opinion of me went south.

"I just dropped a giant wooden beam on them, the hell do I care for them? My concern was for you." Now that got his attention.

"Oh?" he said casually gesturing for me to explain with only one hand because the other contained someone's increasingly oxygen deprived body.

"If you kill them then whoever sent them after you will know for sure that they failed. If instead you glamour them within an inch of their sanity to believe that they in fact did kill you, it might buy you some time and if you figure it out soon enough you just might get the drop on your enemy." I explained, feeling like hot shit.

He dropped her and proceeded to whisper to her, I heard her answer 'yes' several times and finally an 'I understand' finished the process. He sent her out into the down poor without the lantern, dragging "Mark" like a piece of game.

"That turned out so much better than I could have hoped." I said plopping down on the hay covered floor of the barn with a deep sigh, I was abruptly exhausted.

"That was a foolish thing to do, brave but foolish." The vampire said, approaching me slowly, I tensed and gripped my bowie knife along with the silver chain that I had wrapped loosely around my neck. "And now you are alone with an injured vampire…" he tsk'ed.

"Well damn I'm not that dumb." I said gesturing to the chain and the giant knife in my hand, the blade was about as long as my forearm.

"You are if you think you could take me." He challenged with a grin.

"You know nothing about me, I could be some type of ninja warrior." I said lightly.

"True, one that reads minds." He said. Damn, I was hoping he would somehow forget about that.

"Exactly, you don't know what else I might have up my sleeve," I said.

There was a long awkward pause, during which I got real interested in the large beam on the ground in front of me. Looked like oak to me…or maybe pine?

"How did you come to …rescue me this night?" he asked. I laughed on the inside, he had a problem with getting rescued by little ole' me, his manly man ego must be wounded.

"The storm was coming in quick and I was in the middle of one of the pastures, had to find some shelter." I laughed. "I heard two voices and thought they were in here getting it on but then I heard her think of V and staking you. I decided I couldn't just leave you to be killed, plus it was raining." I shrugged.

"Thank you." He said. He didn't look all that thankful, in fact it looked like he smelled something bad.

"How'd that taste?" I asked.

"Not good, like vinegar." He said sitting down next to me with a sigh.

"You're going to be okay right? I feel like I need to ask that." I said.

"Yes I'll be just fine in a little bit." He said, voice tight.

My part was through might as well start wading out this mini hurricane.

"Well I seriously doubt this rain is going to pass any time soon, so I may as well get comfy." I said.

"I could help you." He said with a grin that could walk the panties off a nun.

"Thanks for the offer, but nah I'm good." I got up and walked across the barn to get my bag from outside; I felt his eyes on my back the whole time.

I came back in and spread out my emergency sleeping role, took out my coffee thermos and sank down next to him. He had a vile of his own blood in his hand, twirling it around his fingers.

"You could drink the blood they took from me, it would be a way for me to repay you." He said.

I made a face. "No offence, but yuck no, I'll stick with coffee." I said raising my little cup he raised an imaginary one in return. I took a sip -ah still warm- and moaned a little.

He gave me a heated look and shook his head.

"You could sell it," he said. As if as an afterthought but I knew he was just testing me.

"I have plenty of cash." I said.

I don't know why he looks so skeptical.

"I'm Sookie by the way, Sookie Stackhouse."

"Eric Northman." He nodded to me. No shakey, eh? Duly noted.

"Nice to meet you." I said. Damn this coffee is good but probably only because I was cold, wet, and hadn't eaten anything in five hours.

Minutes passed in companionable silence till he said, "I realize now that you never really answered my question, not completely anyway. I'll rephrase so that you can't dodge it again. What brought you to be out in the country, this night? Where were you coming from and where are you going?"

"That's more than one question." I said still trying to evade answering.

He crossed his arms over his chest and gave me an impatient look.

"Fine, I'll tell you, nothing better to do anyway." I said.

He took a breath to say something no doubt about what better things we could be doing. "ah ah ah No sshh." I put my finger to my lips. "Story time," I said.

How to begin? The beginning wasn't soon enough, I'd have to explain what I am and what I do for all this to make sense.

"Remember how I'm a telepath?" I asked.

"Yes, I do." He said laughing.

"Well when I was young my parents died, their car got swept off a bridge in a flash flood, so my brother Jason and I went to go live with our Gran. I was seven when they died and I was thirteen when my Gran died. I had two choices I could A; go from foster home to foster home freaking out whoever decided to take my sorry ass in or B; I could enroll in St. Catherine of Sweden school for girls." I wrung my hands together before catching myself in the nervous tick, one that I had acquired from going to the catholic school. Rulers man, they are no joke. "I actually tried out the foster home situation once, they were a young couple, super excited to help a needy teenager but they soon realized they couldn't really handle a hormonal female telepath and didn't want to deal with me. But I can understand that, I wouldn't want to deal with me back then either." I laughed nervously.

"I see that this is going to be quite a long story, especially now that I have to have a back story." He said but not in an impatient or bored kind of way, he seemed to be anticipatory.

"I can stop if you don't care." I wouldn't blame him.

"No, no I find that you in a catholic school girl uniform has piqued my interest."

I rolled my eyes. "Anyway, the catholic school was oppressive, my first year I got in a fist fight with this one girl, Sadie Melbrook was her name, she was head honcho of the girl's dorm, her and her little gang of tyrants. After that most things went downhill, I was in detention all the time for back talking the nuns, it's an easy thing to do when you can read their mind and pick out their insecurities. I was in a rebellious stage. I got a job at sixteen waiting tables at Louie's pub and grille. Just about closing time one night I heard the strangest mental voice, it faded in and out like a radio station and I couldn't pin down who it was coming from. Eventually I narrowed it down to this woman in my section, when I realized it was her I decided to probe her mind harder. It was the scariest thing when I heard her voice in my head say; _It's rude to read people's minds you know, without their permission_."

"How did she know?" he asked sitting up leaning towards me on one elbow.

"Ever heard of shadow-mancy? She could wrap shadows around her like a cloak and completely disappear." I asked, wiggling my eyebrows.

"Not in over five hundred years," he said

"She was one in a long line of 'em, take one guess at what their chosen profession is?" I said.

"Magician?" he said.

Laughing I shook my head. "Nope, they liked to call themselves Get-Backers, and contrary to popular belief that does not mean thief. Necessarily. She mostly stole things back, did reconnaissance and her personal favorite non-deadly vengeance."

"Ah, now let me guess, she took you under her wing and taught you the ways of the _Get-Backer_?" he said. He was absolutely correct. I had been sort of dreading this moment from the time I decided to tell him what I do. He could react in any number of ways, most of which wouldn't bode well for moi.

"You know, I pegged you for being a genius." I said. Flattery, as I've learned can go a long way.

He smirked, "But I did not believe you for one second when you said that you might be a secret ninja. But go on, I want to know how you came to be here. You were coming back from a… job?"

"Yes, in another state. I don't do any jobs in Louisiana and I have an agent so my name never comes up and neither does my face." I said

"And no one knows how you do the things you do?" he said.

"The telepathy? Nah, they just know of my success rate and don't ask much else." I said.

"Why haven't I heard of you?" he asked.

"Probably because everyone thinks I'm a guy. That's what Missy, my agent of sorts, hints at anyway." I said.

"Wait…" he closed his eyes and shook his head as if to clear it. "You're the specter?"

"God I love that nick name! Makes me sound so mysterious." I said, wiggling my fingers when I said 'mysterious'.

"What was your job this time?" he asked.

I rummaged around in my bag and brought out the small black box, inside was a bubble wrapped amulet. Some type of precious gem but what made it more valuable, at least to my client, was the magic within it. Apparently when held by a witch it told the history, through memories, of the entire Willow's Knot coven going back three hundred years. It had fallen into the wrong hands, so they hired me.

I handed it to him and his eyes lit up with recognition. "This belongs to a coven in Shreveport. I didn't know it was stolen till yesterday."

"Well it's not stolen any more… well not from them at least." I said.

"Why is it that you were walking?" he asked breaking a short silence.

"My car suffered a catastrophic failure." I sighed I loved that old car.

He gave me a what-the-hell-is-that-supposed-to-mean look. I made an open palmed gesture, if I told the truth I might actually freak out an ancient vampire.

"It suffered a catastrophic failure when I sent it through a wall when my escape plan fell flat, my way out was covered so I made a new one." I said.

"That's very… resourceful of you." He said after a moment.

"Well it's a bummer too, not only did I lose my car but my gun and a couple other weapons were in there, they are now pieces of scrap metal because the car hit a propane tank." I said smiling reminiscently thinking of the giant explosion lighting up the evening sky.

"So now you have to hitch all the way back to…?" he said.

I sat up straighter. "listen, no offense, I'm sure you're an upstanding vampire citizen and everything but I just met you and it's one thing to share a story to pass the time and a wholly different thing to give out personal details, particularly the kind that give away the location of my secret hideaway. I'm sure you can understand." It sounded more defensive and insulting to him than I had intended.

He listened to my little tirade with the look of a parent watching their child have a particularly entertaining hissy fit, all amused and condescending.

"All I meant to do was give you a ride to wherever you needed to go." He said, hands up in the universal sign of 'I mean you no harm.'

"Oh, sorry." I said.

"Plus you gave me what I believe to be your real name, I can find out anything I want with just that." He said as a side note.

"Sure I have homes in that name," I said shrugging "you would have no trouble at all finding those."

I comfortable silence commenced, I drank the rest of my coffee and Eric laid back down, laced fingers pillowing the back of his head.

"I just have one question." He said looking at me intently. I felt like he was trying o see through my clothes.

"Shoot," I said.

"Who won the fight?" he said

"The fight?" I repeated. What fight? Whatever fight it was I hope I won.

"The one with Sadie Melbrook." He said. Oh that fight? Wheew, I thought it was something much more serious by the look he was giving me.

"No one really won, I broke her nose but she busted my lip open, I guess it depends on what you think is worse." Not to mention the fact that we had to scrub floor boards for a week, in my opinion we were both losers.

"She'll be slightly deformed for the rest of her life and you got a little cut, I would think you the victor."

_A?N Okay so what'd you think? Does it suck? I feel like the first time I wrote it I couldn't wait to get home because I was afraid I'd get hit by a bus before I could fix it and every one would read it as it was and think I was lame. It's still lame but I think it sucks a little less now. Please review, I wanna know what's up. Also she'll be asking him why he was resting in the barn, and who is after him in the next chapter._

the first year there I got in a fist fight with this one girl, Sadie Melbrook was her name, she was head honcho of the girls dorms, her and her little gang of tyrants. After that most things went downhill, I was in detention all the time for back talking the nuns, it's an easy thing to do when you can read their mind and pick out their insecurities. Of all the things that slipped, my grades were not one of them, I found that there is nothing much better to do in detention."

I poured more coffee into the little cup and sipped some more. Eric laid down next to where I was sitting and looked up at me, he looked completely at ease.

"When I was fifteen I got my first taste of the supernatural world. It was at night and I was mopping the main hall, it was mostly dark because 'lights out' had already been called and Sister Mary Katherine said that I shouldn't have a problem with the lack of light because I was to make the floors shine. What a bitch. I was just about done when I heard a mind. It was incredibly focused, when a mind is focused it has a different …" Chewing my lip, I searched for the right word. "hmmm…flavor. Yeah, that's it. I could tell that the mind was close to me, and seemed to be getting even closer. I whipped my head around searching for the body that belonged to the thoughts. I didn't see anyone so I kinda freaked out and called out to whoever was there.


	2. The bitch drugged me

I stared at the dirt. Getting a good look at the ground before I had to leave it for an undisclosed amount of time.

When Eric asked if I wanted a ride I thought he meant in a vehicle, not clutching his chest in a death grip and saying 'Don't drop me, don't drop me' in rapid succession while flying through the air. If I was going to be clutching any man's chest this tight I would prefer it be under different circumstances.

"Sookie, you said go south but I don't know when to stop or turn to get to your house. You have to open your eyes and tell me where to go." He said. I couldn't fault his logic but that didn't mean that I was going to open my eyes. If I open my eyes I just might freak out, jostle myself free and go plummeting to my death.

"You can't make me." I said. I could feel the rumble of laughter in his chest.

"I could, but my hands are full, though I could just put you down for a second." He said. I was about to say 'you wouldn't dare' but then my guardian angel slapped the back of my head and told me to 'shut it'.

"But then you'd owe me double, and I would bet that it's much more difficult to repay someone if they're in more than one piece," I said.

"Yes, that's been my experience." He said. I think he's only _mostly_ kidding.

"So you know what a pain in the ass it can be." I gestured and moved my eyes around as if they weren't closed.

I waited for what I was sure to be a witty retort. Seconds passed. An eternity passed. Oh shit, he's gonna drop me! I gripped him tighter.

Lips pressed gently to mine. My eyes popped open to the all encompassing sight of his giant grin.

"You cheat so bad." I said, I tried to hold onto the fake glare I was giving him but I know it dissolved into that watery smile, the one where if you lived in the 40's you'd say 'aw shucks' and kick some dirt with your toe.

"_Vampire_," he said, the way I would have said 'duh.'

I ripped my eyes from his and looked around quickly, I didn't recognize hummingbird road for a minute just because it was so unexpected.

"Wow, yeah just fallow this road, mine will be the first old southern farm house to the left. If we pass a cemetery then we've gone too far." I didn't close my eyes again but I did keep them welded to his chest, it was a very comforting sight.

"So why were you resting for the day in that barn? If you don't mind me asking that is." Hopefully this wasn't an overly sensitive question for him.

"It's one of my safe houses, I was on my way home from…business," he said. No doubt boring and tedious vamp politics.

"Well someone stabbed you in the back." I said. _Someone_ sure had a damn death wish.

"Yes, I'm not the only one who uses that particular resting place, we have many spread across the state," he said, no emotion in his voice. Cool, like a vampire underground railroad.

"Well if you need a job done during the day I might be able lend you some of my expertise." I said.

"I would not have to go through your agent?" he asked smiling.

"I don't think so, you already know who I am and as long as there is a contract of some kind it's fine by me." I shrugged.

"I will keep that in mind."

We landed gently on the drive up to my house. I covertly inhaled one last time, smelling the ocean air and night that scented his skin. I hope he chalked up my smile to finally being back on terra firma.

He put me down. "Thank you Eric." I said yawning.

"Aw, the little telepath is all tuckered out, steeling, blowing up cars and dropping beams on drainers, you've had a full day." He said smiling. If he patted my head I'd have to hurt him.

I rolled my eyes. "You're lucky I don't smack you."

"Why because you make it a habit not to hit vampires?" he asked smirking.

I snorted. "Nope, because I'd probably have to jump to hit your face and seeing as how I'm tired I'd be likely to fall on my butt and I'd never live that down."

He smiled and stooped down, closing his eyes and turning his face to the side supposedly so I could smack him. I patted his cheek gently and checking to see that his eyes were still closed, gently kissed his lips. Now who cheats?

He leaned back, surprised, before he recovered and kissed me back with more force. I put my hand on the back of his neck and pulled him closer. I inhaled deeply through my nose as he skimmed my lips with his tongue. Opening my mouth I let his tongue explore. He wrapped one long arm around my waist bowing my back, making it so that I was flush against him. My head was already spinning and I had to try really hard to keep myself from grinding against him like a hussy. Damn he's good.

I broke away, swallowed to find my voice and give myself time to find some sense. "Okay okay! You win."

"What's my prize?" he said flexing his fingers on my hips.

"My undying respect?" I said.

Laughing he released me. "I'll see you later, Sookie." And up he went.

I walked up my porch steps, shaking my head, how did I manage to make blowing up my car a good thing?

"ALL ABOARD! Ah hahahaha!"

Some crazy suicidal person was screaming in my ear. I'm going to kick the shit out of whoever is waking me up at the ungodly hour of – I looked at my alarm clock – 12:00 P.M.

Black Sabbath's _Crazy Train _blared out of the crappy speakers on my cell phone. Ozzy Ozborne laughing maniacally this close to your face, waking you from a dead sleep was not the best way to start the day. I couldn't murder the Prince of Darkness but I could kill whoever was calling me.

I slapped at where I thought my cell phone was, knocking it off my bedside table. It kept ringing. I hung my torso off the edge of my bed and stretched my fingers to try to reach it. Just a little farther and I'd have the little noisy bugger. I snatched it up and opened it, this seemingly slight adjustment in my already precarious balance threw me off and I feel in a heap on the floor.

"Ooomph… ow," Rug burn…

"Sookie? Hello?" Said a vaguely familiar male voice.

I picked the phone back up from beside my face. Laying down and stretching out I said, "Hello?" I sounded like a grumpy emphysema sufferer.

"It's Alcide. Are you okay?" Alcide. I think I could take him down, I mean he had like a hundred pounds on me and the supernatural ability to change into a wolf but I had…rage and a 40 cal.

"You there Sook?" oh yeah, still here, just plotting your eminent demise is all.

"Yeah Alcide, what is it?" this dude never called unless he needed a date or a job done, wonder which one it'll be this time?

"I need a favor," he said. Okay… jury's still out.

"Okay, is this the kind of favor that pays or the kind where I have to put on a dress?" I asked.

"Maybe both," he muttered.

"Cut to the chase Alcide." I said.

"Okay Okay, one of our pack is missing, a young one, she's just come into it and she freaked out. Ran away. We tracked her to her grandmother's house but after that the trail is cold. We think… well we think she may have fallen in with a fang." Ugh, melodrama.

What could I possibly need a dress on this job?

"Go by her grandmother's house and see if you can't get anything from her… mentally. Then you can go from there." No shit, he acts like I don't know what I'm doing.

"Lemme' get this straight, you want me to interrogate an old woman, hunt down a vamp, somehow get to where he's keeping your girl, and get her out in one piece bearing in mind that the chances of her not already being drained are slim to none?" I've done dumber jobs that turned out fine but I wanted him to feel guilty, also I wanted more money.

"Yes and _our girl's_ name is Doe," he said. I bet her parents thought they were friggen hilarious.

"Doe? Her name is Doe, as in a female deer?" I asked laughing. Great, now I would have that song stuck in my head for a week.

I could hear his eyes rolling. "Yes, Sookie. So what have you decided?" In my opinion he _so_ did not have the right to sound cranky.

"I've decided I'm not going to kill you." I said.

"That's very generous of you?" Oh, you have no idea buster.

I put on my cold ass business women voice. "Yes, it is. And I'll take the job but I want double this time, this is more dangerous than usual, plus I have to get-back _someone _instead of my usual _something_ and assuming you want her back alive, that will be especially difficult."

"You assume correctly. Colonel Flood gave me permission to offer you double, but if you get her back tonight, _alive_, then he'll tack on a bonus of some sort. But Sookie…She isn't just a job okay? She's young and confused and …if he's bitten her the pack might reject her." Ah, yes one of the many injustices of pack life. It doesn't matter to their wolf that she was bitten against her will, the beast see's her as weak, tainted. They might even attack her. I've seen it happen.

"I know Alcide. I remember," _All too well_.

"I know you do," his voice cracked slightly.

"Promise me her protection, I don't care if you have to do it personally, but I have to know she'll be safe. If you can't… then fine, I'll still go get her but I won't be taking her back to the pack, I'll get her someplace safe." If you didn't know me as well as Alcide did you would mistake the anger in my voice for actual anger, but I knew Alcide knew I was just covering up grief.

"You have my word Sookie," he said quietly.

"Good," I said taking a deep shuddering breath. "Back to business, I need specifics." We got through the who, what, where that the pack knew.

Lilly Martin: widowed, 73 years old, 5'4", gray hair and brown eyes. Lives' at 237 West magnolia circle.

Doe Sanderson: 16 years old, my height, brown hair and yeah you guessed it, big brown eyes.

"Alright Alcide, it looks like I'm going hunting tonight," I said trying to get myself pumped.

He chuckled, "Good hunting to you, Sookie." And we hung up.

Usually Missy gives me at least a week to recover in between jobs, taking on another job after seven hours after getting back from the last one was insane. I was dreading this job, it had so much potential to go horribly wrong and I was still feeling the effects of the last job, my muscles felt like the time I played a whole Water Polo game without stretching first. I touched my lips smiling, then there was that. Eric. It seemed likely that I would see him again.

Disguising myself, no matter how mildly, always brought a smile to my face. If I was going to get anywhere with this old gal, I would have to play a part. Visiting the old Were lady didn't seem so daunting, but to be super honest I'm only really scared of three things; Chimpanzees, spontaneous combustion, and little old ladies. I'm not sure why exactly, maybe because they remind me of my own mortality? Do I really fear becoming old and feeble, unable to do even the most basic things for myself? Hell yes, I am. But for the most part I think it's their nasty wrinkles and creepy voices. Plus they have a track record for being witches that eat fat German kids, tack on the fact that this one was a Were too and you've got yourself the granny that ate the big bad wolf. On that note I added my 40 cal in an inner thigh holster under my dark blue sundress and a knife in each of my cow boy boots. I checked out my outfit in the floor length mirror, I looked like I didn't have a brain in my head or a mean bone in my body, adorable, until I shot or stabbed you.

Deciding I looked sweet enough to disarm even the most diehard old southern Baptist woman, I headed out the back porch. And stopped dead. I flashed back to my old yellow beater of a car going up in a fiery blaze of glory. Poor car, at least she had a good run.

Now I'd have to take my other car and completely ruin my 'sweet southern girl' persona. My other car a 1970 black stingray Corvette which I secretly called _The Bat Mobile_.

As far as old lady houses went, this one was pretty stereotypical, complete with scalloped accents and sentient looking garden gnomes. I was officially creeped the hell out.

Putting on my brightest 'dumb as a lamp post' smile I knocked on the door.

The woman who answered was clearly the same person who designed all the architectural aspects of the house, she matched it to a T, even the lace around the collar of her floral house dress looked like the scalloped siding.

"Hello deary, Alcide said that you would be coming by." Deary? For real, she just called me Deary? It's like an evil villain taught her what they thought old ladies were supposed to be like. Next she'd tell me that she had a pie cooling on the window sill. I was so screwed.

But I walked in anyway, because as I reminded myself a thousand times, this wasn't about me it was about Doe. Damn it.

I followed at a caterpillars pace as she shuffled through the musty house. I tried to limit my breathing, especially through my nose, this place wasn't just musty, there was another smell. I couldn't place what the smell was but it put me on edge and seemed completely out of place.

We passed through the living room and I saw that the mirror over the mantel piece was covered by an old blanket, it was the same with the TV and what looked like a silver serving tray on the coffee table. Was she dusting or something?

"Come sit down a spell, I just took an almond cake out of the oven." Motioning to the beautifully frosted cake in the middle of the kitchen table. My stomach gurgled, it felt like it was eating its self. I should just let it, it would be safer than eating any of that cake.

"Can I make you a plate hon?" I am going to be really pissed if this old biddy is just an old biddy and I turned down cake for no good reason.

"No thanks I already ate, plus ya'know gotta watch those calories." _You liar! _ My stomach growled. _I know stomach, I know, but it's for your own good._

"Okay dear, I'll just make some coffee and then we can talk." She said going over to the counter and filling the pot with water.

Right… I was supposed to be listening in on this gal. I took a deep breath, dropped my shields and concentrated on my mental picture of her steel gray head. Nothing. Not a damn thing. There was no intense buzzing like there was with all other Weres, there wasn't even a void like there is with vamps, it's like she was an inanimate object, I might as well be trying to read a toaster. As soon as my confusion subsided my mind decided to go straight to the panic. Well this has never happened before, is it some type of extreme mental shield? Witchcraft? Voodoo? God I hate voodoo, it never follows any rules…

"How do you like your coffee?" she said leaning in from behind me to talk next to my face. I tensed, that was way too close.

I swallowed audibly "little bit of sugar please," I said.

She came around to the other side of the table, setting both our cups down.

"Is there anything that you might be able to tell me that might help in finding Doe," I asked after taking a small sip of coffee.

She sighed theatrically, "She was going around with one of those deaders, I went through her phone once and saw that she was talking about some club she was going to meet him at, I think it was called Spider or something," she said with what I thought was an overly disgusted look on her old face. I got the strange sense again that she was acting, like this is how she thought a grandmother of a rebellious teenager ought to feel.

"Spider? I've never heard of it. You don't happen to know the name of the vamp she was hanging around do you? Or what he looked like?" As long as she doesn't make a move to kill or dismember me I might as well try and get some information out of her, even if its validity is dubious at best.

"One night she thought I was sleepin' I heard her talkin' on her phone, she was talkin' to someone named Michael or Mickey." She said nodding to herself.

I committed the name of the club and the two possible names to memory. Maybe I'd go clubbing later today…

"Anyway dear, Alcide asked me to give you one of her personal items so that the trackers might be able to scent her easier, let me just go get that and then you can be on your way." she said patting my hand, for the brief second that her hand touched the back of mine it felt sort of waxy and cold.

"Alright Mrs. Martin," I said trying to sound normal.

I sighed as she turned the corner and went down the hallway. I leaned back in my chair, the small movement made my head spin. What the hell? I guess I was more tired than I thought. A wave of nausea hit me, I felt my face blanch and I swayed forward a little. When my eyes finally focused they rested on the nearly full cup of coffee in front of me. Shit. I've been drugged.

"Good, it's starting to take effect. I was worried I didn't put enough in the cup." She was standing at the entrance to the kitchen with a length of rope in her hands.

Black dots filled my vision, completely blacking it out for a moment, I shook my head and willed myself to stay conscious.

"Don't fight it dear, there's no use," she said advancing towards me, till she seemed to remember something, "Oh, sight tight I'll be right back."

I got up from my chair, drew my gun and stumbled to the kitchen doorway, leaning against it I could hear her rummaging around in one of the bedrooms. If I hurried I might be able to get to my car. I didn't know what was up with this crazy old bag and I was in no condition to confront her, running and even driving while seriously drugged up was my safest bet…

"Young lady you had better stay right where you are," she was standing on the other side of the couch with a gun in one hand and a dart with red tufted fuzz at the end, I watched her load it and point it at me, afraid that if I moved I would collapse.

"Fine," I ground out, trying to hide my gun in the folds of my dress behind me.

"Go have a seat at the kitchen table now, dear," she says waving the rifle in that direction.

My back to the wall and my gun still well hidden I edge across the room, when I sit down I sort of wedge the gun between the side of my thigh and the chair, hiding it and keeping it in easy grabbing range.

She bustles into the room after I'm seated, the slight breeze the movement creates hits my face and I smell the same strangely familiar scent. My memory flashes back to 11th grade anatomy, when we dissected a fetal pig, it's the odor of slightly decayed flesh and formaldehyde.

Voodoo? It had to be voodoo? All of it made sense now, the covered up mirrors, the strange behavior, the smell. This lady is dead and there is something controlling her body, a Necromancer is what they're called. I try and remember what Missy told me about zombies, their reflections show the way they died, they're controlled from a distance and they can only really be killed by one thing. What was it? Decapitation? It wasn't a holly object or a stake… Fire! Yes, that was it, after they go up in flames they die and revert back to what they looked like when they died. Great now I just had to get my hands on some fire stuff.

"How are you feeling honey?" she asks leaning into my face, her flesh reeks and her eyes have that dead fish look to them.

"You can drop the act you ass hole, I know what you are," I was most likely talking to someone miles away, sitting in an air conditioned car in a trance of some kind.

"Well it took you long enough," she said, her posture changed and the sweet southern drawl was gone.

"Yeah the next time I go to a little old women's house I'll be on my guard," I said.

She chuckled and I got the distinct impression that I was talking to a man, women just don't laugh like that.

She turned to the table to gather her rope, I took my chance, drew my gun and fired three times into her chest at practically point blank range. The slugs left holes that didn't bleed, it just tore through the flesh.

She shrieked and doubled over, bullets may not kill them but I bet it hurts the Necromancer on the other end.

I shot up from my seat and booked it down the hallway, it wasn't really running so much as keeping up my forward momentum so that I don't fall. If I were accelerant and a lighter where would I be? Somewhere where an old gal would use them? I passed by the master bedroom and saw the attached bathroom, saw the scented candles around the tub and on the counter.

I opened the cabinet under the sink, there was no lighter. Right before I closed it I noticed a can of apple cinnamon scented air freshener, if I could find a lighter I would be able to _MacIve_r up a flame thrower. The third drawer I opened had a small blue plastic lighter in it. _Yhatzee_

Pain seared through the back of my head and I stumbled forward and slid down the counter. Looking up I saw Doe's grandmother standing over me with a rolling pin. At least she stayed consistent with her image…

"You bitch, I'm going to string you up," she said. I wasn't at all sure what that meant and I didn't want to find out first hand.

I fumbled for the aerosol can behind me, gripping the correct end I flicked the lighter and brought out the can spraying and quickly bringing the flame away from the flammable liquid. The bottom of her house dress caught first, next her hands, then I a whoosh of air and heat she went up all at once.

_I'll have to check a mirror later to make sure my eyebrows are still there. _

She fell to the floor in a heap, there were bruises on her neck now, in the shape of hands. I lifted my finger from the button on the air freshener and the flames receded, she was definitely dead.

I got into my car and didn't do anything but sit there and shake for five minutes. I leaned my head against the steering wheel and dug blindly through my purse for my phone.

She picked up on the second ring, "Missy," I croaked.

"Babeh is that you? Are you okay?" she said.

"I got ambushed," I whined, I felt like a little girl telling her mommy she got pushed around at school.

"Where are you?" She said, realizing that I was just shook up and not in mortal danger.

"Like fifteen minutes away, I'm leaving now, will you call Parker to come take a look at me? The bitch drugged me." She didn't ask what bitch I was talking about, she just agreed and told me to drive safe.


End file.
